It may have been snowing outside, but Ohio (13-1, 2-1 MAC) was making it rain inside Worthen Arena, handing them a victory over Ball State (6-9, 1-2 MAC) with a score of 90-75.
Sophomore Cierra Hooks and freshman Erica Johnson proved to be major threats to the Cardinal squad, combining for a total of 39. Despite foul trouble for both Bobcat players, Hooks also managed to post five rebounds, while Johnson dished nine assists.
Altogether, the Bobcats tallied 15 made threes, junior Amani Burke registering four of her own. The Cardinals posted only six made threes throughout the game.
“That’s what they do,” head coach Brady Sallee said in regards to the Bobcats' 35 three-point attempts. “It puts some pressure on us. It’s a unique system and they’ve developed it well.”
While it looked to be freshman forward Thelma Dis Agustsdottir who would lead the Cardinals after recording 13 points in the first half, she was shut down in the second and it was sophomore guard Maliah Howard-Bass who took the reins. With a total of 16 points, nine of which came from behind the arc, Howard-Bass credited her teammates for her performance.
“They’re the ones feeding me the ball when I’m open,” Howard-Bass said. “A majority of my points come from my teammates cutting and dishing me the ball outside.”
The first quarter looked promising for the Cardinals as they quickly posted 15 to the Bobcats’ 10 points, but freshman Kaylee Bambule ignited a spark in the Bobcat squad after a three and a drawn charge.
The Cardinals dug a hole that they couldn’t climb out of in the third quarter. They shot just 29 percent from the field to amount to only ten points to the Bobcats’ 22. The quarter also saw junior guard Jasmin Samz grab her fourth foul, which took her to the bench where she stayed until later in the fourth.
“Having the guards in foul trouble was brutal,” Sallee said. “So much of our plan has them in it. It was tough sledding after that, having to play without fouling. It’s always tough on the players when you’re saddled with foul trouble.”
The Cardinals topped the Bobcats inside the paint where they posted 36 of their 75 points. While they also won in the rebounding category, the Bobcats' grit from the three-point line kept the Cardinals at a distance.
Ohio was also successful in quieting two of Ball State's leaders in Samz and sophomore forward Oshlynn Brown.
“I don’t think it’s a coincidence that [Oshlynn Brown] and [Jasmin Samz] only had five and four attempts,” Sallee said. “Other players had to step up. We know we’ve got capable players outside of those two. When you recruit them, you know what they’ve got in them.”
It wasn’t only Agustsdottir and Howard-Bass who posted hefty points for the Cardinals. Senior guard Nakeya Penny and freshman guard Gabby Smith each posted 13, a career-high for Smith.
Eight of nine Bobcat players managed to score, three of which recorded 14 points or more. With 42 percent from three and 51 percent from the field, the Bobcat offense sealed the win.
Contact Gabi Glass with any comments at grglass@bsu.edu or on Twitter @gabiglassbsu.
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